After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Madam Xu, leaning against the coffin, swayed precariously: "Is it because of that incident that you hate me?"

The daughter-in-law's eyes were red as she looked at Xu Shi and gritted her teeth, saying, "Shouldn't I hate you because of that incident? If it weren't for your son, and the fear that he would be caught in the middle, I would have killed you long ago to avenge my son."

Madam Xu laughed, tears streaming down her face: "Do you know that the child in your womb was lost because of you? I said that because I didn't want you to blame yourself or be sad. I'd rather take all the blame upon myself."

The daughter-in-law laughed too: "Nonsense! You're talking nonsense in front of Madam. How could my child be lost because of me?"

Madam Xu, supporting herself against the coffin, sat down on the ground: "Have you forgotten? You went back to your parents' home to visit your sick mother, and you fell halfway there. The doctor took your pulse and found that the child in your womb had already died. Afraid of upsetting you, he said that the child was incompatible with me and could not be kept. If you don't believe me, you can ask your husband, your mother, and the doctor who examined you that day, and ask him what medicine he prescribed for you."

“It’s naturally a medicine to induce miscarriage.” The daughter-in-law stroked her belly. “Do you think I’d believe your nonsense?”

Madam Xu wiped her eyes: "It's a medicine to induce miscarriage, but inducing a live birth is different from inducing a stillbirth."

At this moment, Xu's eldest son walked in: "Mother did not lie to you. Our child was indeed killed because of you. I wanted to tell you the truth, but Mother stopped me. She said that she was also a mother and understood the heart of a mother best. If you knew that the child was killed because of you, you would definitely blame yourself and feel remorse, and even live with guilt for the rest of your life. It just so happened that Mother caught a cold, so she took the blame upon herself."

The daughter-in-law didn't believe it and rushed out the door.

Xu struggled to get up, nudged her son, and urged him to hurry and chase after them.

The funeral banners in the courtyard fluttered in the wind. Watching her son and daughter-in-law's retreating figures, Xu seemed to age several years in an instant. She told Xie Chaoyun that the story of the corpse rising from the dead was true; she, her son, daughter-in-law, and the servants had witnessed it with their own eyes. Ruan's disturbance at the funeral hall was also true; she wasn't there to investigate the steward's cause of death, but to demand that Xu give her the courtyard and allow her to continue working on the estate.

Xu wanted to drive her out, but she claimed that she was pregnant with the steward's child and used the child to make a big fuss, saying that Xu could not tolerate her and the child in her womb and wanted to get rid of her but accidentally killed her husband.

Mrs. Xu said that although she hated her husband, she never really had the thought of killing him. They were both almost grandparents and knew that there were things in this world more important than feelings.

Xu pointed to the backyard and said that she had locked Ruan in the cellar in the backyard.

The sun made Lu Huai drowsy, and he only opened his eyes when Xie Chaoyun gently called to him: "What did you find?"

"The steward's death was unusual, but I am not skilled in medicine or the methods of coroner's examination, so I cannot find any clues." Xie Chaoyun lowered her eyes: "I would like to send a message to Physician Jiang."

"He's just a mere steward of a village; he's dead, so why bother investigating? In my opinion, it's better to bury him as soon as possible, so as to save the people of the neighboring county from panic."

"I'm afraid that Madam Ruan, who is imprisoned in the dungeon, will not agree." Xie Chaoyun raised his eyebrows: "Has the Marquis forgotten that the affairs of this estate were all instigated by that Madam Ruan's mistress?"

Whether it was a misperception or not, Lu Huai felt that Xie Chaoyun deliberately emphasized the words "outer wife".

He touched his nose guiltily and said, "If, I mean if, I were to keep a mistress outside of Yunniang's life, but that mistress isn't like Ruan Shi, would Yunniang accept it?"

“A mistress is a mistress, what’s the difference?” Xie Chaoyun turned to look inside the room: “The difference is the choice of the principal wife. Madam Xu chose to deceive herself, while I chose to divorce the Marquis.”

Seeing Xie Chaoyun's hands clenched tightly together, Lu Huai was slightly taken aback. She really did know about his relationship with Wanwan.

Divorce? Unless she leaves her entire dowry behind!

Before they even reached the backyard, a servant bumped into them. Lu Yong reacted quickly and caught the servant by the shoulder.

"Such recklessness is unbecoming of a person!"

"No, this is terrible! Madam Ruan has lost her baby and is bleeding... bleeding a lot."

Lu Yong let go and ran towards the cellar. He had only taken two steps when he heard Xie Chaoyun say, "Stop him."

He slammed on the brakes, turned around, and grabbed the servant who was about to leave.

Xie Chaoyun sized him up. His upper garment was loose, revealing a loosely draped undergarment underneath, stained with lip rouge. The hem of his garment was casually tucked into his belt, which was tied crookedly. Looking at his trousers, they were clearly worn inside out.

"What did you do to Madam Ruan?"

“It has nothing to do with me. It was Madam Ruan who seduced me. She wanted me to let her out and offered herself to her. I refused, but I didn’t.” The servant knelt on the ground, looking both aggrieved and pitiful. “Look at my clothes. They were all torn by Madam Ruan. And my body is covered with marks left by Madam Ruan. She was on top, and I was on the bottom. It really has nothing to do with me.”

Xie Chaoyun frowned and waved his hand, signaling Lu Yong to drag the person away for inspection.

The cellar door was open, and it was pitch black inside, making it difficult to see clearly. As soon as Xie Chaoyun entered, a cold blade was pressed against her neck. The sharp blade quickly cut her skin, and warm blood flowed down her neck, soon soaking her clothes.

"Aren't you that old hag Xu Lan? Who are you?" Madam Ruan turned around, squinting her eyes, and said, "Why do I feel like I've seen you before?"

“It seems that the child in Madam Ruan’s womb is fake.” He glanced at the blood pack on the ground, and taking advantage of Madam Ruan’s unpreparedness, he snatched the cold blade and held it against her neck: “Your movements are swift and your voice is full of energy, which is not like the state a woman should be in after a miscarriage.”

"You're a doctor? No, you're not a doctor. Not to mention that there aren't many female doctors in Beiliang, even if there were, none of them would have your skills." Madam Ruan tried to get rid of Xie Chaoyun, but Xie Chaoyun saw through her intentions and blocked her way.

You Northern Liang... So, she's not from Northern Liang, but a spy from an enemy country who infiltrated Northern Liang.

Since they are spies, there's no need to show them any mercy.

With a forceful pull of his wrist, Madam Ruan was pinned down, unable to move. Lu Huai and Lu Yong came down just in time to witness this scene.

"Brother Yong, look at her! She's bullying me!" Madam Ruan complained sweetly, but her gaze fell on Lu Huai. "This is... judging from your elegant attire, you must be the official from Linxian County who will stand up for me. Sir, I'm in pain. I just lost a child. I'm so pitiful."

Men like delicate, feminine women, but they don't like delicate women who are tied up in a cellar, covered in blood, and looking somewhat sinister. The former is an innocent rabbit, the latter a venomous snake; even the most foolish man can tell the difference.

Lu Huai, sleeves tucked in, carefully walked past Madam Ruan and approached Xie Chaoyun. "Is your neck injured?"

He took out a handkerchief to wipe her face, but Xie Chaoyun instinctively dodged away.

Madam Ruan laughed so hard she almost fell over: "She's your wife? Judging from your distant manner, you're probably sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams, aren't you? Let me see whose fault it is?"